FAR 3.104-1 Definitions
Subsection Federal Acquisition Regulation
Facts
- Citation
- FAR 3.104-1
- Type
- Subsection
- Last amended
- 87 FR 73894 Effective Dec 30, 2022
- Proposed changes
- 1
- Text as of
- FAC 2026-01
- Official text
- acquisition.gov
Text from acquisition.gov. Federal Register history from the Federal Register's records of the rules that amended this subsection.
Text
As used in this section—
Agency ethics official means the designated agency ethics official described in 5 CFR 2638.201 or other designated person, including– (1) Deputy ethics officials described in 5 CFR 2638.204, to whom authority under 3.104-6 has been delegated by the designated agency ethics official; and (2) Alternate designated agency ethics officials described in 5 CFR 2638.202(b).
Compensation means wages, salaries, honoraria, commissions, professional fees, and any other form of compensation, provided directly or indirectly for services rendered. Compensation is indirectly provided if it is paid to an entity other than the individual, specifically in exchange for services provided by the individual.
Contractor bid or proposal information means any of the following information submitted to a Federal agency as part of or in connection with a bid or proposal to enter into a Federal agency procurement contract, if that information has not been previously made available to the public or disclosed publicly: (1) Cost or pricing data (as defined by 10 U.S.C. 3701(1) with respect to procurements subject to that section, and 41 U.S.C. 3501(a)(1), with respect to procurements subject to that section. (2) Indirect costs and direct labor rates. (3) Proprietary information about manufacturing processes, operations, or techniques marked by the contractor in accordance with applicable law or regulation. (4) Information marked by the contractor as "contractor bid or proposal information" in accordance with applicable law or regulation. (5) Information marked in accordance with 52.215-1(e).
Decision to award a subcontract or modification of subcontract means a decision to designate award to a particular source.
Federal agency procurement means the acquisition (by using competitive procedures and awarding a contract) of goods or services (including construction) from non-Federal sources by a Federal agency using appropriated funds. For broad agency announcements and small business innovation research programs, each proposal received by an agency constitutes a separate procurement for purposes of 41 U.S.C. chapter 21.
In excess of $10,000,000 means– (1) The value, or estimated value, at the time of award, of the contract, including all options; (2) The total estimated value at the time of award of all orders under an indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity, or requirements contract; (3) Any multiple award schedule contract, unless the contracting officer documents a lower estimate; (4) The value of a delivery order, task order, or an order under a Basic Ordering Agreement; (5) The amount paid or to be paid in settlement of a claim; or (6) The estimated monetary value of negotiated overhead or other rates when applied to the Government portion of the applicable allocation base.
Official means– (1) An officer, as defined in 5 U.S.C.2104; (2) An employee, as defined in 5 U.S.C.2105; (3) A member of the uniformed services, as defined in 5 U.S.C.2101(3); or (4) A special Government employee, as defined in 18 U.S.C.202.
Participating personally and substantially in a Federal agency procurement means– (1) Active and significant involvement of an official in any of the following activities directly related to that procurement: (i) Drafting, reviewing, or approving the specification or statement of work for the procurement.: (ii) Preparing or developing the solicitation. (iii) Evaluating bids or proposals, or selecting a source. (iv) Negotiating price or terms and conditions of the contract. (v) Reviewing and approving the award of the contract. (2) "Participating personally" means participating directly, and includes the direct and active supervision of a subordinate's participation in the matter. (3) "Participating substantially" means that the official's involvement is of significance to the matter. Substantial participation requires more than official responsibility, knowledge, perfunctory involvement, or involvement on an administrative or peripheral issue. Participation may be substantial even though it is not determinative of the outcome of a particular matter. A finding of substantiality should be based not only on the effort devoted to a matter, but on the importance of the effort. While a series of peripheral involvements may be insubstantial, the single act of approving or participating in a critical step may be substantial. However, the review of procurement documents solely to determine compliance with regulatory, administrative, or budgetary procedures, does not constitute substantial participation in a procurement. (4) Generally, an official will not be considered to have participated personally and substantially in a procurement solely by participating in the following activities: (i) Agency-level boards, panels, or other advisory committees that review program milestones or evaluate and make recommendations regarding alternative technologies or approaches for satisfying broad agency-level missions or objectives. (ii) The performance of general, technical, engineering, or scientific effort having broad application not directly associated with a particular procurement, notwithstanding that such general, technical, engineering, or scientific effort subsequently may be incorporated into a particular procurement. (iii) Clerical functions supporting the conduct of a particular procurement. (iv) For procurements to be conducted under the procedures of OMB Circular A-76, participation in management studies, preparation of in-house cost estimates, preparation of "most efficient organization" analyses, and furnishing of data or technical support to be used by others in the development of performance standards, statements of work, or specifications.
Source selection evaluation board means any board, team, council, or other group that evaluates bids or proposals.
Federal Register history
Proposed changes
| Proposed rule | Published | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Acquisition Regulation: Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul Parts 3 and 49 | Closed Jul 23, 2026No final rule found |
Sections cited
- FAR 3.104-6 Ethics advisory opinions regarding prohibitions on a former official’s acceptance of compensation from a contractor
- FAR 52.215-1(e) Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition
Terms defined
- Agency ethics official
- Compensation
- Contractor bid or proposal information
- Decision to award a subcontract or modification of subcontract
- Federal agency procurement
- In excess of $10,000,000
- Official
- Participating personally and substantially in a Federal agency procurement
- Source selection evaluation board
Quick answers
What is FAR 3.104-1?
FAR 3.104-1 is a subsection of the Federal Acquisition Regulation, titled "Definitions".
When was FAR 3.104-1 last changed?
The most recent final rule on record is "Federal Acquisition Regulation: Update to Title 10 Citations" (87 FR 73894), published Dec 1, 2022 and effective Dec 30, 2022.
Are changes to FAR 3.104-1 proposed?
One proposed change has no final rule yet.
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